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ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- The new Army family housing survey is now available for tenants to voice their opinion on the quality of housing they live in.
It was just in late August that the Army released its housing survey for fiscal 2022 that saw a slight decrease in satisfaction across the board in all types of housing from the previous year. At Rock Island Arsenal, though, numbers remain high in its tenants’ feelings about their relatively new housing.
“Army leaders want your opinion about your Army housing, so please take a few minutes to complete the Army Housing Tenant Satisfaction Survey,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy chief of Staff, G-9, in a recent Army Public Affairs release. “Your response will have a real impact. We thank you for taking the time to give us this critical feedback.” The G-9, in part, oversees the quality of the Army’s housing program.
An online 2023 survey link was emailed from CEL & Associates, Inc. – an independent, third-party company – to more than 110,000 tenants living in privatized, government-owned, and government-leased housing on Army installations across the globe, the release stated. The survey is confidential and takes about 10 minutes; the closing date is Dec. 16.
“Service members appear to be very satisfied with the quality of housing and playground amenities,” said Jerry Vesey, chief of Operations and Maintenance, RIA Directorate of Public Works. “Areas of improvement include the customer service experience, landscaping options and higher quality appliances.”
Compared to the previous year, RIA’s overall score, while still in the “Outstanding” scale range, dipped slightly from 87.3% to 86.8%. Vesey said “it is difficult to pinpoint a specific reason for such a small drop” and reiterated the aforementioned areas of improvement.
In the 2022 survey results, the Army at-large, identified issues related to maintenance services – including response times, communication, follow-up and long-term solutions – among the top concerns, the release stated.
Vesey pointed out that RIA survey results indicated “Very Good” to “Outstanding” ratings in all categories, to include property satisfaction, service satisfaction and responsiveness/follow-through.
A range of 85 – 100 is rated as “Outstanding,” 80 – 84 is “Very Good,” working downward to the lowest rating of 0 – 54, which is “Crisis.” The ratings are from CEL & Associates, Inc.
Vesey said upgrades to roof, gutter, and site drainage in the Deer Crossing and Eagle Point housing areas were made last year. Demolition of the old quad-plex housing units located adjacent to the Deer Crossing housing area was also completed.
Additionally, exterior building envelope improvements will be made to four of RIA’s historical homes. Terrace Drive – north of the historical quarters – will be resurfaced, along with a project to protect the street lighting circuit in the Deer Crossing housing area, Vesey said.
“Rock Island strives to provide high quality homes, community amenities and service to our service members and their families,” Vesey said. “We expect this tradition to continue as we transition to privatized family housing.”
The Army plans to convert RIA’s on-post housing to a private contractor next April, Vesey said.
Privatized housing is on-post housing owned via a lease, managed and maintained by a private developer – the government partner – with government oversight.
Government-owned housing is owned, managed and maintained by the government, like at RIA.
RIA saw many quality-of-life improvements come to fruition over the last year, spanning a wide array of activities and interests, the RIA garrison Public Affairs Office pointed out.
In the Memorial Park area, a splash pad, known as the H2Oasis, opened just in time for summer, as well as a dog park, which consists of two separate play areas, depending on the size of the dog. Additionally, a driving range was re-opened for golfing enthusiasts, along with a primitive campground area and community gardens.
Housing tenants who did not receive the 2023 survey notice email should contact their local garrison housing offices.
Overall, the Army is investing billions of dollars to improve barracks and on-post housing at installations around the globe to provide high-quality, safe and secure housing and a better quality of life. The Tenant Bill of Rights is now completely implemented to further protect tenants, and the Army has established new incentive-fee metrics to hold privatized housing companies accountable for maintenance and customer service.
In addition, the Army will include revised language in any new ground lease to require privatized project companies to ensure they are meeting their obligations, including compliance with quality-assurance plans.
For more information on the 2022 Army Housing Tenant Satisfaction Survey results, go to https://www.army.mil/article/259878 .
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2022 17:07 |
| Story ID: | 433007 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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